Panel



Sept. 28, 1965 w, U JR 3,208,109

PANEL Filed April 16, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l 42 (W000 W 506K, JQ

INVENTOR. (hawk/6% A/l/D 570427 F155 iqww Sept. 28, 1965 w, BUCK, JR 3,208,109

PANEL Filed April 16, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 501 000 M/. 56/616 J?- 34 INVENTOR.

{EA/0E6! ,4/v0 sfazzy United States Patent 3,208,109 PANEL Elwood W. Buck, Jr., 16347 Escalon, Encino, Calif. Filed Apr. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 273,490 3 Claims. (U. 20-19) This invention relates to devices slidable in pairs of parallel facing channels, and more particularly means for retaining slidable members in the channels.

Although the device of the present invention will have a great many other applications than those specifically disclosed herein and should not be limited thereto for this reason, the invention has been found to be unusually useful in the construction of vertical sliding glass doors and Windows.

In the construction of a small sliding glass window, it is conventional to attach clips by means of metal screws to the bottom of the window to increase the window height. In this manner the removal of the window from upper and lower mounting channels in which the window is slidable is prevented. This feature of prior art sliding window construction makes such windows theftproof.

Due to the need for employing metal screws in assembling the prior art clips to sliding windows, their manufacture and assembly has been difficult, time-consuming and expensive. Further, the positions of the prior art clips have not been adjustable relative to a window so that a window might be held in flush alignment with a window sill. Different corresponding clips also have been required for windows of different sizes and weights.

In accordance with the present invention, the abovedescribed and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by providing a lower mounting channel, a detachable clip between the panel and the lower mounting channel, and an upper inverted mounting channel straddling the upper edge of the panel, the top of the upper channel being spaced from the top of the panel a distance at least equal to the distance from the bottom of the panel to the top of the lower mounting channel and no greater than that distance plus the height of the clip below the bottom of the panel.

In accordance with a special feature of the invention, closure means are provided including a lower mounting channel having a central upwardly projecting rail at the bottom of the interior thereof. A member to be carried by the rail is also provided, the member having a channel. The channel has a shoulder on each side thereof. A roller housing is also provided at each end of the member channel, the member channel being open at each end. The member channel has a hole through the bottom thereof spaced from each end thereof. A rod extends upwardly from the member channel at each end thereof, each said roller housing having a rectangular body portion with a vertical slot through the center thereof. Each said roller housing has a member channel end cover extending upwardly from one end of the body thereof. A projection is fixed with the end cover extending into each end of the member channel on each side of each rod, each projection having a vertical rib thereon to bear. against the member channel. A projection is fixed to and extends upwardly from an end of each roller housing body portion into each of the member channel holes. A pair of vertical shoulders are located at each end of each roller housing body portion supporting the member by contact with the member channel shoulders, each member channel body portion having a vertically extending bearing slot in each side thereof extending upwardly from the bottom thereof. The bearing slots each have a pair of transverse ribs on adjacent resilient side walls to retain a cylindrical shaft therein. A roller has a shaft fitting in each of the roller housings, each roller having a circumferentially grooved disc riding on said lower mounting channel rail. Each roller disc is rotatable in each slot through each roller housing body portion, each roller housing being made of a resilient low frictional material. An upper mounting channel is then inverted over and straddling said device, the upper mounting channel being fixed relative to the lower mounting channel and spaced sufficiently close thereto to prevent removal of the device from the mounting channels except by removal of the roller housings from the member channel.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the need for metal screws or any such fastening elements are eliminated in that the roller housing of the present in vention may be snapped into place. The manufacture and assembly of the device of the present invention may therefore be easily achieved. The same takes relatively little time and is therefore inexpensive. Note will also be taken that, in accordance with a feature of the present invention, either one or two rollers in each roller housing may be employed depending upon the size and the weight of the window to be supported. Further, the height of each roller is adjustable by itself, or in pairs, whereby a window may be held in flush alignment with a window sill.

In accordance with a feature of the present invention, rollers and roller housings may be assembled simply by snapping rollers in corresponding roller housings slots, the roller housing slots ribs retaining roller shafts therein.

In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the projections which extend into the open ends of the window holding channel hold the roller housings in fixed, yet releasable, positions relative thereto.

The lower mounting channel rail keeps the window of the present invention centered in the lower mounting channel. The window holding channel shoulders provide means by which the window assembly is centered over the lower mounting channel rail.

The resilient and low friction character of the roller housing may serve not only to secure the same to the window assembly, but also make it a simple matter to move the rollers along on the lower mounting channel rail.

The above described and other advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawing which are to be regarded as merely illustrative:

FIG. 1 is a broken away front elevational view of a sliding window constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of the window shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a broken away sectional view taken on the line 3-3 shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a broken sectional view of a portion of the window construction taken on the line 44 shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of a roller housing constructed in accordance with the present invention with a roller shown held therein;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the roller housing shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 shown in FIG. 6 of the roller housing;

FIG. 8 is an end elevational view of the roller housing; and

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the roller housing assembled with a window holding rail with two rollers being maintained in the roller housing.

In the drawings in FIG. 1, the inside of a window construction is indicated at including a fixed window assembly 11 and a vent 12. Vent 12 includes a window pane 13 as shown in FIG. 2 which is held in a channel 14 by plastic glazing 15. Assembly 12 is supported on two roller housings 17, only one of which is shown in the drawings. Both of the roller housings 17 are identical and only one is therefore described hereinafter.

Although assembly 11 may be fixed by some other means not shown, assembly 11 may be provided with a roller housing 18 to support it at each of its ends. The end of assembly 12, not shown, may thus be identical to that of assembly 11 shown in FIG. 2.

Assembly 12 is provided with an upper channel at 18 which may be identical to channel 14 and may be employed to support the upper edge of window pane 13, vinyl glazing at 16 being therein employed. Channels 14 and 18 are held together by a threaded rod 19, a portion of which is shown in FIG. 3.

Assembly 12 is provided with plastic bumper guides at 20, 21, 22 and 23, as shown in FIG. 2.

Housing 17 retains a roller 24 which rides upon a rail 25 integral with a lower mounting channel 26. An upper mounting channel 27 is fixed relative to lower mounting channel 26 and straddles the upper edge of assembly 12. The distance from the upper surface of upper channel 18 to the lower interior surface of channel 27 is not greater than the distance from the lower, portion of roller housing 17 to the upper edge 28 of an opening between mounting channels 26 and 27. Assembly 12 is thus theftproof in that assembly 12 may not be removed except by removal of roller housing 17 from assembly 12.

Assembly 12 can be removed from mounting channels 26 and 27 by removing roller housing 17 therefrom, lifting assembly 12 to the top of upper mounting channel 27 and withdrawing assembly 12 through the opening be- As shown in both FIGS. 3 and 4, resilient projections 48 and 49 extend inwardly between rod 19 and sides 50 and 51 of channel 14. Projections 48 and 49 are respectively provided with vertical ribs 52 and 53 to bear against sides 50 and 51 of channel 14. The action of ribs 52 and 53 thus will cause roller housing 17 to be maintained in the position shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 9, even though window assembly 12 is lifted from the bottom of lower mounting channel 26.

As shown in FIG. 2, channel 14 is provided with shoulders at 54 and 55 which rest on top of upwardly extending projections on roller housing 17. These projections are indicated at 56, 57, 58 and 59 in FIG. 6. Projections 56 and 57 contact shoulder 55.

As shown in FIG. 4, projections 48 and 49 are integral with portion 34 of roller housing 17.

It will be apparent that roller housing 17 is symmetrical about a plane longitudinal bisecting that structure as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the use of metal screws or any such fastening elements is completely obviated in the construction and assembly of housing 17 and roller 24. The same may be easily and quickly tween channels 26 and 27 above edge 28 of lower mounting channel 26.

As shown in FIG. 3, rod 19 projects upwardly through a hole 29 in bottom 30 of channel 14.

As shown in FIG. 5, roller housing 17 is provided generally with a generally rectangular body portion 31 which has a rectangular slot 32 all the way through it. The right end of roller housing 17 is provided with an end cover 33 which forms an integral part of body 31 and provides a cover for the right end of channel 14, as shown in FIG. 3, channel 14 being open at each of its ends.

The left end of roller housing 17 is provided with a stepped connecting portion 34 for the sides thereof. The same is also shown in FIG. 3.

The sides of body portion 31 are slotted at 35 to receive shafts similar to a shaft 36 of roller 24. Shaft 36 snaps into place intoany one of slots 35 in that a pair of transverse ribs 37 are provided in each slot. Roller housing 17 may be made of a resilient, low friction, plastic material, such as nylon. Thus, the portions of body 31 between slots 35 may bend somewhat to permit shaft 36 to snap into place in the slots.

Stepped connecting portion 34 is provided with a projection 38 that is tapered at 39 and projects through a square hole 40 in bottom 30 of channel 14.

Note Will be taken that roller 24 is provided with a disc 41 which is circumferentially grooved at 42 to fit rail 25 as shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper surface of stepped connecting portion 35 is fiat at 43 and 44, although the same is tapered at 45 and 46 downwardly to the surface of the top of the principal upper surface of body portion 31.

As shown in FIG. 3, two rollers may be employed. A second roller in the same housing 17 may be employed at the position indicated in dotted lines at 47. A second roller is in fact shown at 24' in that position in FIG. 9.

assembled and disassembled from channel 14. Further, roller 24 may be snapped into place as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9 in slots 35 of roller housing 17, shaft 36 being maintained therein by ribs 37 in slots 35. As stated previously, the portions of body portion 31 of roller housing 17 are somewhat resilient.

Roller housing 17 is assembled to the end of channel 14 simply by inserting projections 48 and 49 into the space above the bottom 30 of channel 14 and between rod 13 and sides 50 and 51 of channel 14. Pressure is applied to portion 33 of housing 17 until projection 38 snaps up through hole 40 in channel 14.

When it is desired that window assembly 12 be removed from upper and lower mounting channels 27 and 26, one end of window assembly 12 is raised to give access to one end of channel 14. Body portion 31 of roller housing 17 is then rotated until projection 38 falls outside of hole 20 in channel 14. Roller housing 17 is then pulled longitudinally until projections 48 and 49 are withdrawn from the space inside the end of channel 14.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the assembly and disassembly of roller 24 and roller housing 17 with channel 14 may be performed easily and quickly. The same is therefore also economical. Note will be taken that roller 24 may be positioned at any one of three heights, different slots at 35 extending into portion 31 of roller housing 17 to different heights. A pair of rollers likewise may be made adjustable due to the fact that a pair of slots 35 exist in roller housing 17 at different heights along its length. A flush alignment of the upper edge of channel 14 with edge 28 of lower mounting channel 26 may thus be affected The same roller housing 17 may be employed with window assemblies of difierent sizes and weights by using one or two rollers for each roller housing.

The roller housing of the present invention is also theftproof in that removal of window assembly 12 from lower mounting channel 26 is made impossible except by removal of roller housing 17 therefrom.

Portion 33 of roller housing 17 not only serves to hold projections 48 and 49 in their appropriate positions, but also serves to close the end of channel 14 and to prevent movement from roller housing 17 inwardly from the end of channel 14.

Projections 56, 57, 58 and 59 on roller housing 17 prevent transverse movement of the roller housing relative to channel 14.

Although only two embodiments of the present in vention have been described and illustrated herein, many changes and modifications will of course suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. These embodiments have been selected for this disclosure for the purpose of illustration only. The present invention should therefore not be limited to the embodiments so selected, the true scope of the invention being defined only in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A sliding device comprising: a lower mounting channel; a panel in said lower mounting channel, said panel having a channel fixed at the bottom thereof, said panel channel having a hole extending upwardly therethrough adjacent each end thereof, said panel channel being open at each end thereof; a clip to rest between each end of said panel channel and the bottom of said lower mounting channel, each of said clips having a projection to snap resiliently into a corresponding one of said panel channel holes, each of said clips also including an end cover positioned over a corresponding end of said panel channel, each of said clip end covers having projection means extending therefrom to a position inside of the ends of said panel channel adjacent the walls and bottom thereof; and an upper inverted mounting channel straddling the upper edge of said panel, the top of said upper channel being spaced from the top of said panel a distance at least equal to the distance from the bottom of said panel to the top of said lower mounting channel and no greater than that distance plus the height of said clip below the bottom of said panel.

2. A sliding device comprising: a lower mounting channel; a panel in said lower mounting channel, said panel having a channel fixed at the bottom thereof, said panel channel having a hole extending upwardly therethrough adjacent each end thereof, said panel channel being open at each end thereof; a roller housing including a roller to rest between each end of said panel channel and the bottom of said lower mounting channel, each of said roller housings having a projection to snap resiliently into a corresponding one of said panel channel holes, each of said roller housings also including an end cover positioned over a corresponding end of said panel channel, each of said roller housing end covers having projection means extending therefrom to a position inside of the ends of said panel channel adjacent the walls and bottom thereof; and an upper inverted mounting channel straddling the upper edge of said panel, the top of said upper channel being spaced from the top of said panel a distance at least equal to the distance from the bottom of said panel to the top of said lower mounting channel and no greater than that distance plus the height of said roller housing below the bottom of said panel.

3. Closure means comprising: a lower mounting channel having a central upwardly projecting rail at the bottom of the interior thereof; a member to be carried by said rail, said member having a channel, said channel having a shoulder on each side thereof; a roller housing at each end of said member channel, said member channel being open at each end, said member channel having a hole through the bottom thereof spaced from each end thereof; a rod extending upwardly from said member channel at each end thereof, each said roller housing having a rectangular body portion with a vertical slot through the center thereof, each said roller housing having a member channel end cover extending upwardly from one end of the body thereof; a projection fixed with said end cover extending into each end of said member channel on each side of each rod, each said projection having a vertical rib thereon to bear against said member channel; a projection fixed to and extending upwardly from an end of each roller housing body portion into each of said member channel holes; a pair of vertical shoulders at each end of each roller housing body portion supporting said member by contact with said member channel shoulders, each member channel body portion having a vertically extending bearing slot in each side thereof extending upwardly from the bottom thereof, said bearing slots each having a pair of transverse ribs on adjacent resilient side walls to retain a cylindrical shaft therein; a roller having a shaft fitting in each of said roller housings, each roller having a circumferentially grooved disc riding on said lower mounting channel rail; each roller disc being rotatable in each said slot through each said roller housing body portion, each said roller housing being made of a resilient low friction material; and an upper mounting channel inverted over and straddling said device, said upper mounting channel being fixed relative to said lower mounting channel and spaced sufiiciently close thereto to prevent removal of said device from said mounting channels except by removal of said roller housings from said member channel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,788,097 4/57 Prick 2052.8 2,867,859 1/59 Brink et al. 20-19 2,950,756 8/60 Moloney 20-19 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SLIDING DEVICE COMPRISING: A LOWER MOUNTING CHANNEL; A PANEL IN SAID LOWER MOUNTING CHANNEL, SAID PANEL HAVING A CHANNEL FIXED AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF, SAID PANEL CHANNEL HAVING A HOLE EXTENDING UPWARDLY THERETHROUGH ADJACENT EACH END THEREOF, SAID PANEL CHANNEL BEING OPEN AT EACH END THEREOF; A CLIP TO REST BETWEEN EACH END OF SAID PANEL CHANEL AND THE BOTTOM OF SAID LOWER MOUNTING CHANNEL, EACH OF SAID CLIPS HAVING A PROJECTION TO SNAP RESILIENTLY INTO A CORRESPONING ONE OF SAID PANEL CHANNEL HOLES, EACH OF SAID CLIPS ALSO INCLUDING AN END COVER POSITIONED OVER A CORRESPONDING END OF SAID PANEL CHANNEL, EACH OF SAID CLIP END COVERS HAVING PROJECTION MEANS EXTENDING THEREFROM TO A POSITION INSIDE OF THE ENDS OF SAID PANEL CHANEL ADJACENT THE WALLS AND BOTTOM THEREOF; AND AN UPPER INVERTED MOUNTING CHANNEL STRADDLING THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID PANEL, THE TOP OF SAID UPPER CHANNEL BEING SPACED FROM THE TOP OF SAID PANEL A DISTANCE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID PANEL TO THE TOP OF SAID LOWER MOUNTING CHANNEL AND NO GREATER THAN THAT DISTANCE PLUS THE HEIGHT OF SAID CLIP BELOW THE BOTTOM OF SAID PANEL. 